North Rallies Past South in 2009 SAL All Star Game

Charleston, WV (June 23, 2009) - The Southern Division All-Stars scored the first three runs of the South Atlantic League's 50th mid-summer classic at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday night, but the Northern Division rallied and outscored the South 4-1 in the final three innings of the contest and won on Calvin Anderson's walk off single in the ninth inning to take the 2009 SAL All-Star game 8-7.

Greenville's Anthony Rizzo and Savannah's Sean Ratliff stroked back-to-back RBI doubles in the third inning for the South and Asheville's Jordan Pacheco drove in the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly. Karexon Sanchez (Lake County) drove in Paul Gran (Greensboro) on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third to put the North on the board. The Northern Division took their first lead of the game after plating three runs in the fifth inning. Lakewood catcher Travis D'Arnaud singled in Gran and Anthony Gose (Lakewood) and Sanchez came home on Hickory right-fielder Mike Bianucci's base hit.

The Southern division took their second lead of the game with a three-run sixth inning. Greenville catcher Tim Federowicz's groundout scored Ratliff before Juan Perez belted a two-run homer off Hagerstown's Marcos Frias to put the South in front again. Gose began the seventh inning for the North with a double and then stole third base before scoring on an errant throw from catcher Jesus Sucre (Rome). Ben Lasater's (Greensboro) groundout plated Sanchez to plate the game's tying run. Sanchez struck again in the eighth inning to give the North the lead on a two-out RBI double.

Lexington's Ebert Rosario hit a solo homer off Justin DeFratus (Lakewood) in the top of the ninth inning to extend the contest. Delmarva's Ronnie Welty started the bottom of the inning with a base hit before Charleston's Pat Venditte struck out Lasater. Calvin Anderson then ripped a 2-2 single into right-center field. Center fielder Scott Robinson (Asheville) threw the ball by Rosario in an attempt to get Welty at third base, and the errant throw allowed Welty to score the winning run.

DeFratus earned the victory for the North and Venditte was tagged with the loss. There were only two players for the North who did not participate in the game. West Virginia's Rudy Owens and Lakewood's B.J. Rosenberg did not see action for the North while everyone played for the South.

Lake County second baseman Karexon Sanchez went 2-for-2 with two runs, a pair of RBI and a couple of walks took home MVP honors for the North. Calvin Anderson had a huge day. Not only did he deliver the game-winning hit, but he also won the homerun derby contest which took place before the game. Anderson hit several tape measure shots and won in the final round before recording an out. The victory for the North was their fourth in a row in the South Atlantic League's mid-summer classic.

West Virginia will not play again until the second half begins on Thursday. They'll open up the second half with a four game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at NewBridge Bank Park. The first pitch in Thursday's game will be delivered at 7:00 PM.